just wondering who here has stayed low carb for more than a year? My first was six months then i fell off. next was about six months then fell off. This time was about a year. now im off. i just wonder if anybody has sucessfully stayed 100% on plan for like years at a time like 5 or 10 or your whole life?

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Every lb gained is water/ every lb lost is fat
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I stayed on for about 2 years before I went off to college, and then limited ability to cook for myself, and limited food options in the university dining establishments pretty much broke my streak. I think if it's treated like a diet you'll "fall off", but if you treat it like a change in lifestyle then there's nothing to fall off. You almost have to treat unhealthy carbohydrates as an allergy, and it's effects on the body can be closely likened to those of a true allergy sometimes.

I haven't been low carb for very long. For almost two months. It doesn't feel at all like a diet to me. I don't know if that is what you are worried about, whether you can stay on the plan long term. I personally love the LC WOE, but where I struggle is with fitting into society's normal WOE. I have a conferencing coming up in a couple of weeks and I am struggling to figure out how to eat while I am away. That's my biggest challenge. All the food they will be serving will mostly be carb based with some protein. My diet has to be fat based with some protein.

Anyways, because of health issues I am looking at being LC for the rest of my life like it or not. So even though I have been on it for only two months, I'm looking at a very long term plan. For me its either than or go on medication, but I don't that would work long term anyways.

Me, too, Salad Spinner! I tried it in October 1999 and its never felt like a diet - I found that I felt better and that made it easy to make it a lifestyle. As with any way of eating, you have to do whatever works for your body.

I ate low carb for 3 years, then fell off the wagon - now it's been 6 months, and this time I'm planning for maintenance, because I got too complacent about it all last time. It's just 'the way I eat' now, really, though.

I don't count, so I can't remember when I began steadily eating low carb, but it's been at least 8 years or longer.

I haven't been in ketosis the entire time because I read once that it's good to have a 'carb-up' day every few months, but those days have been fewer and fewer over the years. It's never been more than one day, and I've always easily (and happily) returned to low-carb eating.

I am particularly sensitive to carbs, and I've learned that this WOE is the best for me in terms of both weight management and overall health. That might not be true for others. I believe that everyone has to discover what works best for that individual.

Two years last month. I agree with the others who say this is a WOE and not a diet.

I just consider low carb is how I eat not a diet I'm on.

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Ralph
"Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer."
Denis Waitley

The first time I went LC, I stayed for over a year. Since then, I've been able to do a few months at a time. Traveling for work and also social situations have been my biggest setback. Today is actually my 1 month point in this year's round and I just realized that I lost 8lbs, wow! Also I have too much energy, it's crazy! I literally feel like a 10 year old. I'm going to get into trouble.

I began in Feb 2000 as a weight loss program. I went off program after about 3 yrs. and struggled for years to get back on. Finally regained my traction in 2009 and haven't eaten off plan since. It is not worth it and I love the way I get to eat on plan. Not only that, I have discovered all the very real health benefits that my eating plan brings with it. It is more about health now than anything.

__________________Cathy
Original start - Feb. 2000 180/125

"The energy content of food (calories) matters, but it is less important than the metabolic effect of food on our body." Dr. P. Attia

I've been low carbing for years now and I've been at goal for around 4 years I think now. I moved up the rungs like Dr. Atkins said to do (the last one is whole grains, but I only eat those rarely) and I do have things with sugar occasionally.

I think what's more important than being 100 percent on plan is learning how to get through everyday things on it like birthdays, parties, stress, being tired without completely going off for days at a time and regaining weight. I don't go off plan because I am stressed or tired, but I do have special things once in a while when I plan for them, and it's usually one thing, and not a day of going off plan. I also never stray far from my goal weight, which I think is an important measure of whether a diet works for you or not- can you stay on it and does it get you to goal?

I'm coming up on 5 months and do agree with others that this is a lifestyle not a diet.
But I am retired and so don't have to eat on the run, or are under pressures that would over rule my eating preferance....Seriously, I can't imagine being a college student with a job and sticking to lc....I'm sure there are those who can do it, but I would be a "bagel on the run" eater for sure.

I was on low carb for about 18 months around 2000-2001, and have been on low carb for 34 months now -- since April 2010. My experience is that my WOE continues to evolve, and hopefully becomes healthier. I am cutting back on dairy now (lost 100 pounds with HWC in each of 4 cups of coffee every morning, and then stalled for ten months). Also am cutting back on calories unfortunately. I believe low carb is necessary but not sufficient for me to lose more weight. I am in the process of learning what I have to add to low carb for more weight loss.

I have been low carb since 2001 and lost 225 lbs, but then last year I went out and ate sugar and flour, gaining 32 lbs in 7 weeks. That was an eye opener and I am back to doing what works. I am in a healthy weight range, feel great and love my meals. I have no plans to test the waters again.

I started low carb in September 2010. Lost to my first goal and went off. Gained 10 pounds back over several months and restarted in July 2011. I have been low carb ever since.

I love it.

Last year I quit smoking and went back on birth control and I gained about 10 pounds over the coarse of a year despite eating low carb.

February 1st I decided to start JUDDD to shake things up. I am on my third week and have dropped 8 pounds. I stay low carb on my up days averaging about 30 net cards a day. I have lost over 60 pounds and would like to lose 20 more.

First started Atkins April 1, 2002. Lost 40 pounds back then and maintained for almost 8 years...then carb creep crept. I've always been low carb, but went hard core again in March 2012.
Hey! You don't have to drink all that water!

I was on low carb for 6 months before I discovered I was pregnant (thanks to low carb--oh, an my husband, too!). Back then ketosis was still thought to be very dangerous for pregnant women, so I had to go off of it and it took me 12 years and nearly 100 pounds to get back on. This time I've been doing this for 1 1/2 years and I fully intend to do this the rest of my life.

As a woman in her 50's the weight loss is incredibly slow and I don't know if I'll ever reach my "goal", but I feel so much better on low carb and I can't see ever going back to how things were before I got back on low carb. I have no illusions about ever being able to eat carbs again.

I'm so impressed by the 100+ pound losses here. The longer I'm off processed foods and sugar, the worse I feel when I do have something "off plan". A two day carb hangover just isn't worth it any more. I'm also a female over 50 and it's hard enough for me to maintain at goal - I have empathy for those that are trying to lose at this stage of life - everything is working against weight loss. What used to work doesn't work any more. But I swear by low carb to help me minimize the over 50 issues.